What does it mean to
live in the "already but not yet"?
By now, it’s clear that I am pregnant. I am a
mom and I have a child that I am caring for. But at the same time I haven’t experienced,
and don’t claim to have, the understanding of what being a mom is like or even
know exactly how to raise a child. All I know is that I love him and in little
ways my life is changing daily in creation and preparation of his coming.
There is a theological
concept that expresses the time we are living in as the “already but not yet
kingdom of God". The moment Jesus walked
on this earth, the Kingdom of God dwelt among us. Every day, we can participate
in the “already” that is being manifested.
However, it does not
take long to recall the many tragic events that have happened the past few months and to see them as far from heavenly. If anything, they are a daily reminder that we
are living in the “not yet” kingdom of God.
Globally, we have experienced horrific events
of terrorism in the wake of ongoing conflicts.
Nationally, we are becoming polarized with divisions because of ethnic
differences, party lines, and the constant lack of trust in larger institutions.
On an individual level, I have been journeying with many who have been waiting
months, maybe even years, for God to answer specific prayers in their lives.
If you are highly
sensitive, as I am, you hear about these terrible things and feel them in
burdensome ways. Even when these things aren’t directly affecting my life, I
still hold deep empathy for the pain going on around me.
In Romans 8, Paul
writes:
“For we know that all
creation has been groaning, as in the pains of childbirth, right up to the
present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit
within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released
from sin and suffering
(Romans 8:22-23).”
While
I can’t give a personal account (yet) to what the “pains of childbirth” feels
like, I do know that our world today is groaning. Perhaps it’s
just back pain like what I’ve been experiencing recently, but for others, they
maybe in the midst of active labor, unsure of how long the pain will continue.
If
we are living in the "already but not yet" we see in a different
perspective. Our eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit and if we are willing,
we can experience and have a foretaste of the kingdom of God that is present
even if it’s not quite fulfilled.
I have no idea how to birth a child let alone
raise one. In the same way I have no idea how justice and goodness will embody
itself in today’s present reality. Living in the "already but not yet" means daily trust and prayer that God will provide me with the wisdom
to do so. In the same way I must trust that He will shape and mold us into people who
remember the goodness, the hope, the restoration, the justice that God has demonstrated
in our lives. Then by his grace we
can live as representations of God’s kingdom among the brokenness, confusion,
and pain around us.
May there be comfort in the midst of mourning.
May beauty come from our ashes.
May life come from death.
May our lives change daily that
Your kingdom come may come.
That your will may be done.
Amen.
